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Guidance on Labelling Textile Articles Derived from Bamboo

The Bureau is responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act, the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act, the Textile Labelling Act and the Precious Metals Marking Act.

Labelling law

The Textile Labelling Act (TLA) and the Textile Labelling and Advertising Regulations (TLAR) are statutes relating to the labelling, sale, importation and advertising of consumer textile articles. They require textile articles to be labelled accurately in order to help consumers make informed purchasing decisions. The statutes set out specifications for mandatory label information, such as the generic name of each fibre found in an article and the dealer identification.

The TLA and the TLAR also prohibit false or misleading representations. The TLAR specifically prohibits a representation that "detracts from, qualifies or contradicts any representation in the disclosure label."

As part of its mandate to inform industry of the proper application of the TLA and the TLAR, the Competition Bureau wishes to clarify the proper labelling of textile articles derived from bamboo.

Bamboo labelling

Bamboo is not an acceptable generic name for a textile fibre unless bamboo fibre has been mechanically processed from natural bamboo fibre, similar to the process for making flax into linen-like fabrics.

Paragraph 26 (2)(c) of the TLAR states that: The generic name for a textile fibre that is made from regenerated or precipitated cellulose is "rayon", but where that fibre has been made by:

the cuprammonium process, "cupro", "cupro rayon", "cuprammonium" or "cuprammonium rayon" may be used as its generic name;

the viscose process, "viscose" or "viscose rayon" may be used as its generic name;

a modified viscose process so that it has a high wet modulus, "modal" or "modal rayon" may be used as its generic name; or,

a solvent extrusion process, where no chemical intermediates are formed, "lyocell" or "lyocell rayon" may be used as its generic name.

The proper generic name will vary depending on which particular cellulose process was used. Where an article is made of man-made rayon fibres derived from bamboo, the generic fibre name must first make reference to either "rayon" or the corresponding process outlined in the TLAR, followed by the words "from bamboo". Examples of acceptable generic names include "rayon", "viscose", "rayon from bamboo" and "viscose from bamboo".